Chapter 1324: Love at first sight (?)

"I know because... someone like her—her age—sees this as a challenge. And once she gets what she wants, it’ll all fade like smoke in the air. A waste of time."

If it wasn’t Penny pulling a prank and using Grace, then this was the only explanation Haines could think of: Grace saw him as a challenge. After all, she had always sought more, pushing herself to the limits just to see how far she could go.

Now that Grace was a highly successful corporate lawyer, she was probably looking for something thrilling. Since men her age would easily fall for her beauty or wit, she had chosen someone older—someone who would hesitate to pursue a woman half his age.

And Haines just happened to be the most convenient option in her world.

"That woman..." Mildred let out a wry smile after a brief pause. "The woman who broke your heart, your trust, and everything else—she must have shattered you into a million pieces."

"This has nothing to do with her."

"It does, Haines," Mildred countered, raising her brows with a knowing look. "I’m not saying you’re wrong. Perhaps you’re right. A young, successful, and—I’m sure—beautiful woman could be with someone younger, smarter, maybe even better-looking, without a leg problem."

"But it’s the what-ifs that bother you, isn’t it?" She wiggled her brows as she picked up her tea. "What if she was being honest? What if everything she said wasn’t just a game, but a genuine show of sincerity?"

She took a sip, letting her words settle in. "You’re judging this young woman—who’s willing to add more responsibilities to her life for the next thirty days—without fairly considering her efforts. Why? Because, just like that woman from your past, you’re afraid she’ll break your heart. So you see the worst in her and the situation before anything else."

"I bet you don’t see the worst in anything else—except when it comes to matters of the heart," she added knowingly, sipping her tea after stripping Haines bare with her words.

Haines, on the other hand, was speechless. His mouth opened, but the argument in his throat never came out. He knew it would fail. Mildred had struck a truth he couldn’t deny.

He never saw things negatively—whether in business or in life. Not that he was the most optimistic person, but he had always believed he could figure things out, no matter how tough they seemed. Even the most impossible tasks Charles had given him back in the day—Haines had taken them on without hesitation, even when failure seemed inevitable.

He had always figured things out.

In his mind, that was simply how it worked. But with Grace—this entire discussion, which he had only brought up to avoid offending Mildred—he hadn’t seen any potential. Not because there wasn’t any, but because he had refused to look.

"It’s always the what-ifs, Haines," Mildred said with an encouraging smile. "The what-ifs... the countless, heavy what-ifs we carry on our shoulders. The ones only we know."

"I’m not interested."

She shrugged indifferently. "All I’m saying is, maybe if you opened your heart, I’d find the courage to confess as well. I don’t have to go first, do I?"

"You’ll be waiting forever. I’m not interested."

"Very well, then." Mildred exhaled deeply, smacking her lips. "I never thought about confessing before I met you, but maybe we’re both just... pathetic. Or just too afraid to do something that’s already long overdue."

She shook her head, then said, "But anyway, if this young woman really is just playing a game and will lose interest the moment you reciprocate—if you think she’ll make you look like a fool—then why not give her what she wants?"

Her brows lifted slightly. "You want her gone, don’t you? Or... are you playing hard to get because you don’t actually want to lose that attention?"

Haines’ brows furrowed slightly as he looked at her in surprise. "You’re a Pierson."

Mildred blinked at his response, caught off guard.

"I’ve heard that Piersons have their way with things," he clarified with a chuckle. "And I just realized—you truly are one."

"Trust me. I’m the least Pierson out there."

"I think you’re brilliant. Just not as greedy."

She laughed. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

"You’re free to do so. And thank you for the idea." Haines nodded slightly. "I’ll reconsider what you just said."

After all, he didn’t like the attention Grace was giving him. This wasn’t just about stopping her—it was about proving that whatever she was after wasn’t real. A younger woman would never fall deeply for an older man. Sure, there were cases where love prevailed despite an age gap, but this wasn’t one of them.

As the two finished their tea, exchanging small smiles, a soft voice called out to them.

"Mister Haines?"

Haines and Mildred instinctively turned toward the source. Standing a few steps away was a beautiful elderly woman.

"Miss Sandford," Haines immediately recognized her and stood from his seat. "It’s been a while. It’s good to see you."

Miss Sandford smiled warmly and nodded. "I didn’t expect to see you here as well," she said, her brows lifting slightly as her gaze shifted to the woman sitting with Haines.

"Right." Haines nodded, glancing at Mildred, who had also risen from her seat. "This is Mildred Pierson, a friend of mine. Mildred, this is Miss Sandford—Penny’s former homeroom teacher."

"It’s nice to meet you," Miss Sandford said, extending a hand. "Vivian."

Mildred clasped her hand and smiled gracefully. "Mildred. It’s nice to meet you too. You should join us. Haines and I were just catching up over tea."

The two women smiled at each other, but then Haines noticed something. Their handshake lingered longer than necessary. When he looked at Miss Sandford, she wore her usual soft smile. But when he glanced at Mildred, he saw something different in her eyes.

His eyes slightly narrowed, his brows knitting.

’She’s... interested,’he thought, studying Mildred.

A small smile tugged at his lips.

’She definitely is.’